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Creamy Butter Crab - The basic ingredients consist of butter, evaporated milk, bird’s eye chilies, and curry leaves.
The holiday season is just around the corner and I wanted to share a special recipe with you: creamy butter crab. Last Christmas, I served creamy butter crab to my friends and family and they couldn’t get enough of it.
Everyone was asking for the secret recipe. Creamy butter crab is a fairly new Malaysian creation and has gotten popular these past few years.
Made popular by King Crab restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, the basic ingredients consist of butter, evaporated milk, bird’s eye chilies, and curry leaves. The curry leaves lend a distinct and exotic flavor and complement the richness of butter and evaporated milk. The bird’s eye chilies add an extra kick to the dish.
I used mud crab for my recipe as they are widely available in Asia and Australia. However, dungeness crab or stone crab would work very well, too.
This holiday season, do try preparing something foreign, exotic and new. Creamy butter crab is served with fried Chinese buns or mantou, so everyone will have a great time sopping up the creamy butter sauce with the fried buns while devouring the crab. I am sure your family, friends and guests will be in for a delicious treat!
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 533 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Creamy Butter Crab
Serve this dish with other Malaysian dishes. For a Malaysia meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Creamy Butter Crab
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (1kg) mud crab, dungeness crab or stone crab is a great substitute
- 1 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1 stick butter
- 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 stalks curry leaves, you can get the curry leaves at Indian grocery stores
- 5 bird’s eye chilies, lightly pounded
- 10 Chinese buns, mantou/馒头
Instructions
- Clean the crab and cut it into pieces. Use paper towels to pat the crab dry. Deep-fry the Chinese buns or mantou until golden brown and set aside. Lay them on paper towels to soak up excess oil.
- Mix the cornstarch with water and set aside. Heat a wok over medium heat. Melt the butter in the wok, then add the curry leaves and bird's eye chilies. As soon as you smell the aroma from the curry leaves and chilies, add the crab and stir continuously until it starts to change color.
- Add the evaporated milk, cover the wok, and turn the heat to low. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then add the cornstarch to thicken the creamy butter sauce. Dish out and serve hot with the fried mantou.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello Bee,
Thanks for this lovely recipe – tried it for dinner earlier & it was a hit ! Definitely making this a regular dish for our family meals. Super easy to make too ;-)
Looking forward to trying out your other recipes, especially the coconut shrimp….